40 Memories, 40 Moments lovingly spent with You
by sakikura
Summary: 40 moments frozen in time- 40 stories for 40 special moments in Ran and Shinichi’s childhood past.
1. Introduction

**Intro: 40 Memories, 40 Moments lovingly spent with You

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own DC/CC

Please review when you are finished; reviews are highly valued and treasured in this little section of . We take good care of them ;) Please, if you liked this fanfic, be sure to say so, if you didn't, let your voice be heard! If you have any suggestions, tips or any comments at all, please add them into the reviews! Thank you!

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_40 moments frozen in time- Ran and Shinichi childhood past_

It was winter, and the ground was blanketed with a thick cover of snow. If the earth had been a bed, and the snow a duvet, then the room in which the bed stood would have belonged to a small child. The snow was littered with detritus, the way the bed would be littered with clothes and toys. The snow, once so pure and white, had become stained and filthy, carelessly rumpled up and abandoned.

Mingled with the falling snow was ash, floating down as softly as the snowflakes.

Police and ambulance sirens could be heard in the distance, slicing harshly through the crisp morning air. The inhabitants of this particular district should have been subject to a serene and peaceful afternoon, however, the long, drawn-out tension between the police and the Black Organization had had other plans.

Today, that fine line holding back the two sides had finally snapped, and an all-out warfare had erupted at the very centre of Tokyo City.

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'Chief, how are we holding?' Detective Mouri appeared beside the Chief of Police, his forehead wrinkled with concern.

'Not too well. We have sixteen police wounded and another two squads just walked straight into the blast of that last explosion. That makes eight more officers down indefinitely. No to mention so many dead that we've lost count...' the Chief muttered to himself.

The Chief turned away from the renowned detective to greet a man who was running towards them.

'Chief! We have the FBI on its way with reinforcements!'

'Good. Give me the details.'

'Ten squads and four hit teams are on their way now Chief! The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department are also sending in two SWAT teams. They should be here in less than ten minutes!'

'Good, good.' The Chief of Police batted his hand at the officer, dismissing him.

Mouri watched the scene around him with a grim face. The Black Organization had just launched a battalion of hand grenades at the advancing police squads, blasting them to oblivion. Mouri had no doubt that they would have thrown a bomb at the police assembly, had they not also been in the perimeter of the bomb's blast.

Around him, it was utter chaos as police officers ran out of the building, some bleeding, others carrying fallen comrades. The ambulance wards were faced with more injuries than they could deal with and had had to send for reinforcements.

Gun shots sounded distantly, cutting through the air and bringing a wave of impending death over the gathered body of police. All around them lay dead bodies, strewn over the slush of the snow, which had been melted by being trampled on and by the heat of the explosions.

All the while, the Black Organization's headquarters remained as unyielding as ever, mocking them, taunting them.

'Dad!'

Detective Mouri turned in surprise at the sound of his daughter's voice. _What was she doing here? She could get herself killed!_

'Ran!' he said angrily, his fear and disbelief evident on his face. 'You shouldn't be here!'

'But-' Ran was huffing, whether from shortness of breath or hysteria Mouri couldn't tell. 'I can't find Conan!'

Ran's hair was disheveled, and her eyes were uncharacteristically wide as she faced her father, desperation clear on her face.

'What's happening? I heard an explosion just then-'

She stopped abruptly, her eyes scanning the area as if she was seeing the destruction that had taken place for the first time. Her head jerked up to meet her father's eyes.

'What if Conan's in there?! He might have wandered off!' Her eyes flicked frantically over her father's angry face.

'Ran,' Mouri said speaking slowly so as to not agitate Ran any further. 'I want you to go home, okay? I don't want you to be here. It's too dangerous.'

Mouri clasped his daughter firmly by the shoulders, staring intently into her anxious eyes.

'Now tell me where you last saw Conan.'

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Conan lay in the snow, a small figure in an endless sea of white speckled with grey. His breath came out in ragged puffs as he struggled to breathe.

His eyes were shut.

Inside his head, his thoughts were in turmoil.

_It wasn't supposed to end this way!_

The snow was stained crimson where he lay, the red making a startling contrast to the white ground. Conan coughed. It was a hacking sound that rang gratingly, it hurt his ears. Blood bubbled on his lips and he choked, rewarded with another bout of coughing.

_It should have been him coming out victorious! _

_He had been so confident of this fact. _

_Before, back when he was with Ran, with Doctor Agasa, with Haibara and the Detective Boys, whenever he had pictured this day, he had always imagined that he would defeat the Black Organization. Haibara would find the solution to the antidote and he would return to his normal self. _

_That was how it should have been. _

_Not like this._

He felt something warm trickle out of his ear. Painfully, ever so slowly, he reached up and touched it. His hand came away sticky with his blood. He felt the blood dripping out of his ear and onto the ground. Every second was agony.

He felt himself losing consciousness. _No!_ Conan shook his head wildly, forbidding himself to slip into that state of oh-so-welcoming numbness.

If he went there now, he might never come back.

Conan moaned as a stabbing pain entered his head; a result of his head injuries protesting to the sudden movement. He jerked violently. His head felt as if it was being pried open with a knife; the blade slipping between his eyes and cutting neatly through his skull, slicing through his brain and all of his thoughts, scraping over his eyes and spine and down into his throat.

Conan screamed, in agony and in anguish at his predicament._ It should not have been this way!_

_He had fantasized of growing up; of confessing his love to Ran; of marrying _her_, the girl of his dreams and starting a family. _

_He had dreamed of becoming a great detective, of being renowned for his skills over all of Japan, over all of the world! _

His dreams now lay broken beside him, shattered before his eyes by that one shot, the shot fired by his greatest nemesis.

Gin.

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_

Ran froze in her father's arms. Mouri; sensing her sudden movement; looked at her, alarmed.

'What is it?'

Ran's eyes trailed over the snow, searching. 'I thought I heard something. It sounded like an animal, dying.' Her eyes widened. 'Maybe it was Conan! He might be in danger!'

'Ran!' Mouri shook his daughter by the shoulders, locking her gaze with his. 'You're overreacting.'

He sighed, shaking his head impatiently. 'Look,' he said, speaking quickly. 'I want you to go back to the ambulance okay? I'll find Conan.'

Ran eyes slid slowly up his face, stopping as she looked up into his eyes.

'Promise?' she pleaded, staring intently into her father's face.

'I promise. Now go!'

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Conan closed his eyes.

He was dying.

He could feel his life being drained away, little by little, as his blood trickled out onto the pure white snow.

He had lost so much blood. He could feel it, soaking through his clothes and hair.

Memories flashed before his eyes to a time when all had been good and well. When it had been just him and Ran, content in each others' company.

They had been free to dream; in their own private world that only their childish selves could truly understand.

_If only to go back to that time. _

_Free and happy, if only- _

_To be young again._

_Ran._

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**AN:** So, what do you think? This will be 40 different stories, each speaking about a memory Shinichi has as he lies there dying. This I chose to do this because it doesn't seen to have been done before? Well, maybe it has but I can't find any yet. Please leave a comment, and any suggestions for future chapters! Thanks.

Btw, I know Shinichi would kill me right now if he knew that I wrote this. Don't tell him -wink wink-


	2. Stargazing

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DC/CC in any way at all. Sad I know. Made me cry when I found out. 'You mean I don't own DC?! But-'

Nah, joking.

**Please read and review. It would make my day.

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It was night time.

Thirteen year old Shinichi sat in front of his desk, reading another of his beloved detective books. A cup of coffee sat on the desk beside his hand, wisps of steam wafting up from the cooling liquid. It was untouched. Shinichi was absorbed in his book. The curtains were open and the soft light of the moon spilled through the garden and in through his window, to be dissipated by the bright light of his table lamp. The faint glow of the lamp cast shadows over the room, and softened Shinichi's facial features, silhouetting his figure against the wall.

After about an hour of reading, Shinichi rubbed his eyes sleepily.

He yawned and stretched, looking up from his book as he did so. He decided to give his eyes a break, and thus looked out of his bedroom window. As he stared outside, he had a revelation. He noticed for the first time how pretty the sky looked at night.

Strange, he thought to himself, that he hadn't noticed that before. Now that he came to think of it, he didn't think that he had ever taken the time to look closely at the sky when it was dark.

All right then.

He switched off his desk light to get a closer look, peering into the night. It took his eyes a little white to adjust to the sudden blackness, but slowly, the stars started to reappear, until he could discern a great many of them, scattered through the sky like tiny grains of sand. He relaxed, leaning back and settling into his chair with great pleasure as he gazed up at the sky. He sat, motionless, admiring its splendour and beauty, spanning out over the whole of the earth.

A vague thought struck him as he sat there, thinking. He realized that save for the sun and the moon, the sky was the one thing that united the people of the earth. It was the roof of the world. He smiled at that odd idea. He didn't usually have thoughts like this. However, it could not be denied that no matter how different the culture, or how distant they were from each other, two completely different people would always share this one common sky.

How strange that he hadn't realized this before.

Idly, as he stared out into the dark expanse. As soon as the sun disappeared at night, the sky would be transformed into a dark, shadowy backdrop. When he was little, he had been scared of the dark. Of course, he wouldn't admit it to anyone, but whenever it had gotten dark, he would begin to feel the fear of the things in the night creeping into his heart. Once though, when he had been really scared, he had cried out for his mother. She had sat next to him on his bed, and told him; whenever he got scared, all he needed to do was look up into the sky. She told him that in the sky, the stars would watch over him, a thousand tiny white lights to guard and protect him. From then on, whenever he had felt the fear of the night, he would look up at the sky to see the stars, comforting and friendly. This was how the stars looked to him now, dispersing that fear as they readily shared their bright glow with the world. Stars really were such sociable creatures.

At night, the moon reigned like a queen. She watched over all of the earth, her soft light illuminating the whole of the night with a subtle magnificence that to even the street lamps couldn't compare. Shinichi had never really thought himself poetic, but the beauty of the night really did things to you...

Gazing up at the breathtaking sight of the star-jewelled sky, Shinichi's thoughts slipped to those of Ran. She loved beautiful things and he knew that she would love to see this sight. He smiled at this thought, and dropped his book on the desk. Coffee untouched and forgotten, he walked quickly towards his bedroom door, grabbing a jacket as he went past.

Calling a brief, 'Mom, I'm going out,' he pulled on his shoes and stepped out of the estate and into the darkening night. Breaking into a light jog, he ran down the long winding driveway and out of the gates, pulling on his jacket as he did so.

He slowed down to a brisk walk and strode down the street, in the direction of Ran's apartment. The street lamps were dimly lit, casting their own pools of warm light onto the dark street. Shinichi looked around. In this section of Tokyo, there weren't many people out at night. Without warning, he shivered, his mind filling with the stories he had heard of the scary happenings that had taken place in lonely places like these.

He decidedly began to run, not stopping until he reached the central big city region of Tokyo. Here, traffic never stopped, and there were lots of cars and people still out on the streets. Big, bright neon lights and giant screens flashed advertisements and company names down from tall skyscrapers, greatly reducing the need for street lamps. Shinichi thankfully mingled in with the crowds, walking hurriedly down the street until he came to a stop in front of Ran's apartment building. He pressed the buzzer labelled with Ran's house number and waited. Bzzzzzz. There was a crackle of static.

'Hello?'

'It's Shinichi,' Shinichi said loudly into the speaker. 'Ran's friend?'

'Okay, hang on.'

The person on the other side, presumably the guard, hung up and moments late the door opened with a click. Shinichi stepped inside, nodding to the guard who sat at the desk. The guard, seemingly with nothing better to do, was watching kid's programs on his small portable TV. The poor soul.

Shinichi shook his head pitifully, climbing up the long winding staircase until he reached Ran's apartment door. Huffing slightly from the exertion of the climb -man, no wonder she was so strong- he rang the bell, hoping it would be Ran who answered and not her bad-tempered father.

Unfortunately, luck was not on his side and Shinichi found himself face to face with Ran's father, Detective Mouri, glaring down at him from the doorway. Mouri was wearing nothing but a vest and boxers, and his face was unshaven. In his left hand he clutched a bottle. Shinichi shuddered slightly.

'Whadaya you want you little punk?' Mouri asked suspiciously.

'Ah, I was wondering, is Ran at home?' Shinichi looked meekly up at Mouri, one had rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

'What if she is?' Mouri drawled. Shinichi was beginning to have a slight suspicion that he was drunk.

'Now you look here son, I don't like you going around with my daughter-'

'Shinichi? Is that you?' Ran appeared behind her father, shoving him out of the way. 'It is you!' She looked pleased. Her father slouched grudgingly back into the living room, muttering something about lovesick teenagers and testosterone-happy boys chasing after his daughter, before collapsing onto the sofa, completely stoned.

There was an awkward pause.

Shinichi coughed, blushing.

Ran ignored her father's state. Instead; shooting a look that said 'you did not see that just then, understand?'; she went and pulled on her shoes, following Shinichi down the stairs.

Once outside, she turned to face him. 'Why did you come so late?'

Shinichi grinned at her. 'I wanted to show you something,' he said.

He held out his hand. 'Come.'

Ran took it, looking a little confused.

'Hold on tight,' Shinichi said, smiling wickedly.

Ran let out a little cry of surprise as Shinichi began to run down the street, weaving through the pedestrians and dragging her behind him like a toy doll. 'Shinichi?!' she protested indignantly 'Where are you going?!'

'You'll see,' Shinichi called back, grinning conspicuously.

They were quickly running towards a bunch of high school girls, who were talking in a group, probably on their way home from study classes. Ran gave a cry of alarm as Shinichi dragged her right towards the centre of the group. The girls gave loud shouts of indignation, scattering to avoid them as Shinichi and Ran weaved through.

'Hey! Watch it!'

'Sorry!' Shinichi flashed his most charming grin back at them as he ploughed determinedly through to the other side.

'You had better have a good excuse for this Shinichi!' Ran yelled from behind him, looking very much annoyed. 'Otherwise you'll be very, very sorry!'

Shinichi gulped. Maybe this hadn't been such a great idea after all. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so brash. An angry Ran was not the best of things to be mixed up with. He winced, remembering the last time he had made her mad. He had had to stay in bed for weeks afterwards.

He shook his head, clearing it of that –ahem- unpleasant experience. He upped his speed even more, earning a startled growl from Ran as he dragged her through the streets and to the entrance of Central Tokyo Park.

Shinichi slowed down to a walk, and; realizing that he was still holding Ran's hand; hurriedly let go of it. He blushed, looking down at the ground. He was thankful for the dimness of the street lamps to hide the light shade of red that had spread unintentionally over his cheeks.

Ran was of course, oblivious to this action. Instead, she turned to face him, speaking loudly to let herself be heard over the heavy noise of the traffic.

'So then Shinichi, care to tell me why you decided to drag me out of my house with no warning whatsoever, at eight o'clock at night of all times, and without even giving me any time to get a jacket? Hmm?' She looked over at him, her arms folded, her eyebrows raised.

She frowned.

'Shinichi, are you even listening to me?!'

Shinichi glanced at her, putting on an innocent 'what was that?' face. Without warning, he took off his jacket holding it out towards her.

'Here. Now you have one less thing to complain about,' he said, grinning cheekily at her crossness. He slipped his arms up behind his head and walked on ahead, feigning carelessness and leaving Ran standing alone behind.

'Shinichi!' Ran gave an exasperated sigh, but jogged up from behind to catch up to him. Once she was level to him again, Shinichi reached and took a hold of her wrist, tentatively glancing at her face for signs of retaliation. Ouch, that would not be good. Ran rolled her eyes but allowed herself to be led into the park.

As they walked deeper and deeper into it, the noises of the traffic and people dimmed and became muffled. Ran and Shinichi walked down the path in silence, nodding occasionally to a few park dwellers who walked on past them.

'Come.' Shinichi motioned to Ran and they headed down another more secluded section of the park, Ran shooting him an 'I haven't finished with you yet' look. Shinichi cringed under the frostiness of that glare.

Man, girls were scary.

They climbed up several flights of stairs, rounded a bend and-

'Wow,' Ran breathed.

They were standing at the top of a small hill, the ground suddenly sloping down and falling away a little further onwards. At the edge of the hill stood a single maple tree, which had been decorated with fairy lights; draped over its branches like snow.

Ran walked slowly towards the tree, leaving Shinichi standing behind her. She walked around the tree once, admiring it from all different angles. Shinichi watched Ran's little display of happiness, relieved to see her anger melting away like snow, warmed under the glow of the fairy lights.

A faint smile flickered over on his face as he watched her, Ran's eyes wide with amazement and wonderment at the breathtaking sight. Ran usually acted like the older sister -bossing him around and generally bulling him- but right now, she looked every bit a young girl. The bright, glimmering incandescence of the lights contrasted spectacularly with the darkness of the night, as there were no street lamps in this area of the park.

The stars also twinkled softly down at the two teenagers, adding their own gentle beauty to the scene. Shinichi joined her, coming to stand next to her as they stared in silence at the stars, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment.

'It's so pretty,' Ran murmured, almost inaudibly, more to herself than to Shinichi.

But Shinichi was not looking at the lights, but at her. He stared fixatedly at Ran, who was all wrapped up in his jacket, her silky hair spilling down, cascading over it like a waterfall. The jacket would probably smell like her shampoo when she returned it to him. Shinichi made a mental note not to wash it immediately when he got home. Ran was now gazing up at the sky, her lips slightly parted in awe and her eyes bright and wide. She looked kind of cute like that, Shinichi thought to himself as he regarded her, smiling slightly.

Ran glanced at him, suddenly aware that he was looking at her and not the display.

'What?!' she asked defensively.

'Huh?! Oh, nothing, nothing.' Shinichi batted a 'calm down' hand at her, shooting her a reassuring grin. Inside though, he was kicking himself, as he realized that she had caught him staring at her.

Ran shot him a look of suspicion, but turned back to look at the stars.

Shinichi mentally let out a sigh of relief. He smiled, pleased that she had liked the sight. He was also rather glad that it seemed she wasn't going to kick his butt after all.

He turned back to stare at the lights in silence.

Together with her.

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**AN:** -ahem- I have to admit, the way this story turned out was a little disappointing for me- loss of motivation perhaps? Maybe a lack of inspiration. I was hoping for it to turned out a little less..... forced sounding. Maybe I'm pushing myself too hard for ideas. Do you guys think it sounded a little mediocre? A little amateurish? Anyways. Please, help me to make it better! If you have any ideas, do not hesitate to review. Thank you!


	3. First Meetings

**Disclaimer:** I don't own DC/CC.

**Read and rate please.** (Heh heh, you may have noticed that I -rather _cleverly_- mixed up the 'please' and the 'read and review' for some variation. What? You didn't notice? Oh. Well that's too bad.)

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'Hey, Shinichi sweetie!' Yukiko called loudly, attracting a fair bit of attention as she waved to her son. It was home time and she had come to pick him up from his kindergarten.

She was rather surprised when he didn't respond to her voice.

'Shinichi?! Time to go home!'

Shinichi looked up at that, and spotted her. He ran over to her, calling out 'Mommy!' in his –oh-so-cute- little toddler voice.

Yukiko beamed at him as he ran up to her, every bit the proud, doting young mother.

'Shin-kun! How was kindy? Did you make any new friends?'

Shinichi beamed right back at her.

'Uhuh,' he said proudly, holding out his arms for a hug. Yukiko picked him up, rubbing her nose against his.

'Really? Who?'

'Ran-chan! Uh…' Shinichi wriggled around in his mother's arms, trying to find his new friend. His face lit up. 'There she is!'

-Poit! -

Yukiko followed the direction of his finger to see a sweet faced little girl with long dark hair playing with some building blocks.

'Ohhh,' she said knowingly. 'So that was who you were playing with today?'

'Yup yup!' Shinichi grinned, his cute smile back on his face.

_Aww! Shin-kun was too cute! Her little boy! _Yukiko had to restrain herself from hugging him to death.

'Do you want to go say goodbye to her?' she asked him.

'Okay!' The Big Bright Smile of Ultra Cuteness™ was back on his face. _I love you so much! _Yukiko thought to herself. _Her Shin-kun! So adorable! _

She put him down and he ran towards the little girl –Ran, her name was?

Yukiko beamed after him, content to watch protectively as Shinichi ran over to the little girl.

'Ran-chan, Ran-chan!'

Ran perked up as she heard Shinichi's voice. Her face brightened as she saw Shinichi.

Yukiko watched in a devoted trance as the two toddlers conversed. Shinichi said something, flapping his chibified arms in gesturing, and Ran smiled happily back. They hugged and Shinichi ran back towards Yukiko, his smile lighting up her heart like a ray of sunshine.

'RAN! WHERE ARE YOU?!!'

Yukiko jumped and Shinichi froze in mid-run as a smart-looking woman in a business suit marched into the kindergarten, roaring at the top of her voice.

Oooh..

'Mommy! Here I am!'

A frozen Yukiko and Shinichi watched as the little girl skipped towards her mother, singing as she went.

'Lalala…!'

Yukiko gulped. That woman was scary!! Ah! Where was her Shin-kun?! She snapped out of her shocked state as she saw Shinichi, looking as if he was about to fall over. She ran over to him, kneeling down to embrace him.

**'Mommy….'**

Shinichi's face was shadowed.

'Yes? What is it?' Yukiko asked anxiously, holding him at arms length and scanning his dark face in worry.

Shinichi looked up. His eyes were huge and round and full of tears. 'That woman's scary!!' he squeaked.

'Oh sweetie, don't be scared,' Yukiko said in an effort to calm him. 'She's Ran's mommy! She can't be that bad, okay?'

Shinichi sniffled, nodding. 'Okay.'

'Shinichi-kun!'

Yukiko looked up to see Ran gesturing at Shinichi.

'Look,' Yukiko said, looking down at Shinichi again. 'Ran's waving to you. Do you want to go talk to her?'

Shinichi nodded.

'Go on then!' Yukiko beamed at him, receiving a small smile in return.

Hands on hips, she watched him run off with Ran, smiling slightly after them.

'Well, it looks like your son's become good friends with my daughter.'

Yukiko turned to see the woman who was supposedly Ran's mother standing behind her.

She gulped.

'Ahaha, hi! I'm Kudou Yukiko, Shinichi's mother!' she said -a little cautiously in case the woman bit off her head or something. 'Pleased to meet you!'

The woman's eyes widened. 'Yukiko? Is that you?'

* * *

When Ran and Shinichi returned, they found their mothers talking to each other as if they were long lost friends who hadn't seen each other in years.

Shinichi looked confusedly at the woman who had been yelling with all the ferocity of a lion just a little while ago. Now, she was cheerfully talking to _his_ mommy as if she was her best friend.

'Mothers are strange aren't they?' he confided to Ran, whispering in case the woman heard him, and turned on him.

'Uhuh.' Ran nodded in agreement, staring up at the two adults.

Yukiko noticed the two children waiting for them. She gestured to Shinichi, who ran towards her open arms, allowing him to pick him up.

'Look Shinichi,' she said, pointing at the strange woman. 'This is Mrs Kisaki. She was my good friend from high school! Now isn't that a coincidence? Say hello to her, don't be shy.'

Shinichi's mouth dropped to the floor. This scary woman was his mother's friend?! No way!

Yukiko frowned, as Shinichi appeared to be in a state of shock. Oh well, she thought. He's probably still a little scared of her.

She turned towards Eri, beaming at her widely. 'Isn't it a coincidence that your daughter happens to make friends with my son? It must be fate. Eri, we have to find some time to talk about what's happened after all this time. Feel free to come round for dinner sometime, okay?'

'Of course not, I wouldn't _dream_ of troubling you, Yukiko,' Eri replied. 'How does next Saturday sound?'

'Perfect!' Yukiko exclaimed. 'Bring Ran with you, okay? I know Shinichi would love to have her come as well.'

She smiled down at Shinichi.

'Come on Shinichi!' Yukiko said brightly, walking towards the door. 'See you next Saturday!' she called back to Eri.

'See you!' Eri replied.

-

And this was the tale of how Shinichi and Ran became friends.

Otherwise known as, the beginning of a long and complicated relationship, in which one of them gets shrunk by a drug and goes to live with the other as her little brother.

Meh.

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**AN:** Soz. Really short, really random story. Don't know what came over me.... -mutters something about fanfiction making her do wierd things and how she should go see a doctor-

See, now I'm talking about myself in third person.

Run away while you can.

But not before reviewing of course!! -Grins maniacally- **LET THE FLAMES COME!!!** (however, con-crit would be appreciated too =)


	4. Cloudgazing

**Disclaimer:** I do not in any way under the sun, own DC/CC.

**Please read and review.**

**AN: **Eri is Ran's mother. She left her husband when Ran was around five or six years old.

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It had been a month since Eri left her husband. Ran had been heartbroken at first, crying so much that Shinichi didn't know what to do. However, she couldn't cry forever. Both of them knew that. So, the crying reduced to sniffles, the sniffles to occasional tears, those tears to moist eyes, and now at the present moment, the two of them were lying on their backs on a hill, staring up in silence at the white fluffy clouds. One might call it…..cloud-gazing.

Shinichi rolled his head over to look at Ran. She was staring passively up at the sky, a blank, melancholy look on her face. Her hair was spread out beneath her in a wide dark fan. He didn't like the way she was now. Lately she had stopped crying so much, but Shinichi was still worried about her. She had become…withdrawn, one could say. She didn't talk as much as she'd used to, and he'd often see her staring off into the distance with a vacant look in her eyes. She was still hurting, Shinichi knew that much. She just…didn't show it as much. She was hurting inside, instead of on her face and through her tears. The worst part was, there didn't seem to be anything that he could do for her anymore. At least when she had cried, he had been there, to lend a shoulder to cry on and to hold her as she wept. But now...

Ran noticed him staring at her. She gave him a small smile that didn't _quite_ reach her eyes. Shinichi smiled back, when what he really wanted was to frown. To scream and yell and throw a tantrum. To be mad, to be frustrated, though not at her but at him. At what he couldn't do for her. Ran was his bestest friend in the whole wide world, but he wasn't being a very good friend. When she needed him the most, he couldn't be there for her.

Ran exhaled softly. She probably had sensed his discomfort because at that moment, she pointed a finger and said, 'Look Shinichi, that cloud looks like a rabbit.'

Shinichi stared up at where she was pointing. 'Uhuh,' he agreed, not because he really _believed_ it was a rabbit, but just so that Ran would be happy. He wished that she could be happy. That she could smile again, and they could play in the park and ride their bikes again like they used to. And laugh and be cheerful and untroubled. And not be sad anymore.

He sighed, staring up into the big bluey thing that his teacher had told him was called the sky. It was so strange, he thought, how the clouds could stay up there without falling down. He was a lot smaller than them, but even he couldn't stay up there that long. They just drifted along peacefully through the sky, without a single care in the world.

He had once asked his daddy why the clouds could stay in the sky that long, but his daddy had just laughed and told him that he thought too much. So he had gone away and thought some more about it, and he'd decided that the clouds were probably smarter than him, -as smart as Daddy. _That's_ why they could stay up there. Maybe when _he_ got that smart, then he would be able to find a way to go up there too. Him and Ran. He'd find a way to get up there, and they'd be able to just float along as peacefully as the clouds. Without a single care in the whole wide world. He smiled. That would be nice. He turned to Ran to share his idea with her.

'Hey Ran, when we grow up, I'll find a way so that we can float up into the sky and be as happy as the clouds are, okay?'

Ran looked surprised at his sudden declaration, but then she smiled and nodded.

'Okay.'

Satisfied, Shinichi turned back to stare at the sky. 'That cloud looks like an aeroplane,' he said, pointing. 'And that one looks like a dinosaur. And that one,' he said, reaching his hand high up so that Ran would be able to see it. 'That one looks like a cloud.'

Ran said nothing for a while. Shinichi glanced over at her, to see why she hadn't responded. She was looking up at the sky, a thoughtful look in her eyes. Shinichi turned back to the sky, wondering what she was thinking.

They lapsed into silence for a while, listening to the rustle of the wind through the trees, and the faint noises of traffic in the distance.

Finally, Ran spoke.

'Shinichi?'

'Yeah?'

There was silence for a while. Shinichi wondered what she wanted to tell him. When Ran spoke again, she spoke so softly that Shinichi almost missed what she said.

'When I was little, my mommy used to take me to lots of places. Once, she took me to the park. She'd push me on the swings, and I'd go _soo _high. I'd feel like I was flying through the air.'

She paused. Shinichi looked over at her. She had her eyes closed, and her hands resting on her stomach.

'There was one time, when my mommy took me to the park. She met one of her friends and they were talking. I was sitting on the bench, and I fell asleep. When I woke up, Mommy had gone.' A tear rolled down her face. 'I was so, so scared. It started getting darker and darker, and I got lost. I stumbled through the park crying and wailing, and I fell over once or twice because I wasn't looking to see where I was going.'

'Ran…'

She looked over at him, her eyes wide and round. 'I found Mommy eventually, and I was crying and crying and so glad to see her. She hugged me so tight, and smoothed back my hair. She was crying too, I think.'

She sighed. 'You wouldn't believe how scared and how terrified I was when I was wandering through the park. I thought that I would never see Mommy again, and I'd be stuck there forever. When I saw her though, I was the most relieved and thankful that I had ever been in my whole life.' Ran smiled wanly at Shinichi. 'She told me that she would never leave me again. She said that she would never let me get lost ever again.'

She looked back at the sky. 'I believed her.'

Shinichi felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He wished that he could help her, somehow. Anything to make her happy again.

Ran continued, tears welling up in her eyes. 'If she was telling the truth, then why do I feel like she's left me again?' She sobbed, the tears spilling down the sides of her face and into her lovely dark hair. 'Why d-do I feel so lost? Why do I feel as scared and a-as lonely as when she left me in that p-park?'

Shinichi stared at her, wishing there was something he could do. He stared back up at the sky and its clouds. Then he turned back to Ran.

'Do you see that cloud?' he said softly, pointing up at the sky. 'It looks like a cloud. You know why?'

Ran shook her head tearfully.

'Because it used to be part of that other cloud.' He pointed towards another big cloud next to it. 'It used to be part of that big, big cloud which looks like a giant.'

He turned to Ran. 'That little cloud couldn't bear to be alone, so, it never made itself a shape. It just kept hoping and hoping, and it turned greyer and greyer.'

He looked solemnly at Ran. 'And it became a rain cloud.'

There was a pause. Ran sniffed.

'But you know what?' Shinichi said, smiling at her. 'It doesn't need to be afraid. Because no matter how dark, or how cold and wet it gets,' his finger traveled over to the left, pointing at the sun. 'It can always be certain that the sun will rise up, shining its bright light into every single dark corner of the sky and chasing away all the cold and fear and uncertainty.'

He took Ran's hand in his. 'And one day, that little cloud will smile, and float through the sky as free and happy as all the rest.'

He stared intensely into Ran's eyes. 'You know I'll always be here for you, okay?'

Ran scanned his face, her eyes uncertain. They came to rest on _his_ eyes though, and slowly, she smiled.

'Okay.'

-

_Be happy._

_Smile again._

_For me.

* * *

_

**AN:** This fanfic may have been a little strange, but keep in mind that they were kids, so maybe forgive me a little for the strange ideas? Please? \(+.+")/ No? Aww... \(^_^)/

Well, if you review, you'll make me a very happy writer, that's for sure. Please review if you can, your feedback is the light of my dreary days. Thanks =)


	5. Band Aid: Hold Still Already!

**Disclaimer:** I do not in any way under the sun, own DC/CC. What a shame \(U.U)/

**Please read and review.**

* * *

It was a warm evening in central Tokyo, and Ran was cooking dinner for herself and her father. She hummed tunelessly as she worked, moving quickly around the kitchen for the ingredients as had prepared to toss into the now smoldering pan. She reached for a spatula and flipped the vegetables to stop them from sticking to the surface. The only sound in the house was the _saa saa _of the cooking food, and her humming.

Hum, hum hum…hum-

Suddenly she felt a little unnerved. The house was so empty. So quiet.

Her father was still at work and she was all alone in the apartment. He was at work until long after dark each day, as he received very few clients in his almost unknown detective agency. He had never been very good at his job, usually giving up on the case half-way through and leaving his clients unsatisfied. He also tended to slack off quite a lot. Ever since her mother had left, her father had been forced to go back to working in order to earn enough money for him and Ran to live on. Nevertheless, despite his efforts, the debts were still climbing and Ran was beginning to worry about what would happen to them in the future.

She sighed sadly to herself. If only if her mother was still here. She had already tried on countless occasions over the past many, many years to get them back together again, with no progress.

Nope. Nada. Zilch.

No matter, she would keep trying. She would get them back together eventually. And her mother would come back and pull them to safety from their giant sea of bills and make everything alright again. Ran gripped the spatula vigilantly, overcome with a moment of sudden inspiration. Her eyes shone and she put on a determined expression for good measure.

Yes! She could do it-

_Ding dong _

Ran glanced up from her inspirational moment, interrupted by the door bell. Could that be her father? He wasn't usually back this early…

She went to the door, spatula in hand. Opening it, she found Shinichi standing outside, an apologetic look on his face. His face was streaked dirt and his clothes were torn and muddied. His eyes twinkled out mischievously from behind the dark layer of grime. Ran frowned. He looked as if he'd been dragged across the road on the back of a bicycle.

She sighed exasperatedly. 'Shinichi, what did you do?!'

Shinichi looked sheepishly back at her. 'Um…I fell over.'

Ran snorted, obviously not buying it. 'Do you think I'm stupid or something?!' she screeched, smacking him over the head with her spatula.

'Ow! I'm injured! Are you trying to kill me?' Shinichi protested, ducking as Ran's spatula swiped dangerously close to his ear.

'Hmph.'

Nevertheless, she let him into the house. He made his way in and sat down the edge of a chair, hovering on it as if it was about to break. He looked nervous under Ran's glowering look, like a naughty child about to be scolded. Which was actually quite near to the truth. Ran frowned, placing her hands on her hips. 'Tell me! What happened?!'

'Okay, okay.' Shinichi winced at the loud tone of her voice, but relaxed slightly. It seemed he was more accustomed to Ran's yelling than Ran's scrutinizing 'say-nothing' glare. 'I was investigating my neighbor's house.'

'Why?!'

Shinichi grinned conspicuously, back in his well acquainted comfort zone. The one that mainly consisted of Ran sighing at him in exasperation as he recounted his crafty deeds to her.

'Well, you know for some reason they have always have their curtains drawn so no one can look inside. And they have this barbed wire that goes around the outside of their gate. So I thought-'

Ran sighed exasperatedly. 'Shinichi! You know you can't just go sneaking around other people's houses like that!'

'I know,' Shinichi shot her a sly look. 'I wasn't planning on getting caught, you know. I'm not that's stupid.'

'So,' he continued, his eyes shining, 'I found a way over the fence by climbing onto the next door house's shed that sits just next to the fence. I almost managed to get next to a window to look in.'

'Shinichi! -what happened next?'

Shinichi grinned. 'The dogs woke up and chased me around the whole house.' He winced, remembering the event. 'Luckily, the neighbors weren't at home at that time, but I got ripped up pretty bad by those dogs. See?' he said, holding up a stained arm. It was red and bloody. Ran let in a sharp breath. How on earth hadn't she noticed earlier?

Her first thought was to use her whole arsenal of karate skills on him for not telling her beforehand, but then she realized that this would only result in him having more injuries and it would also make his wound bleed faster. Urgh. He was _such_ a jerk. She restrained herself from launching at him in fury and beating the life out of him, settling instead with an icy glare that said 'you are in _so_ much trouble'. She stormed off to get the medicine box, muttering under her breath.

-o-

'Ouch! It hurts!'

'Oh, shut up. Hold still, okay?' Ran shot him a warning look as she dabbed carefully at his gash with iodine. It was not a pretty sight. The dogs had clamped on and hadn't had any thoughts on letting go. Shinichi told her that he'd had to punch the dog in the face and rip his arm out of its mouth while it had been momentarily stunned. Then he'd ran like hell, two enraged dogs snapping at his heels. Ran sighed. Shinichi was such an idiot sometimes. She pressed harder on the wound, inducing another cry of protest from the aforementioned patient.

'Ra-an! Can't you be a little more gentle? I'm in deep pain right now! Oh, the agony! I'm gonna die…'

Ran rolled her eyes at his theatrics, but relented, dabbing a little more carefully at his wound. 'If you wanted a cute little nurse who would simper over you like a air-headed Barbie doll then you should have gone elsewhere,' she said, matter of factly. 'Besides,' she retorted, 'you do know that I'm only doing this so that when you get better, I can beat the crap out of you.'

Shinichi gulped. 'Why? What did I do?'

This was a lamentably bad move on his part.

'WHAT!' Shinichi cringed as Ran snapped. 'What did YOU do?!' She gave a snort of derision as Shinichi looked confused. 'You were being stupid, that's what _you_ did! Do you know how worried I was when I saw you covered in filth and your clothes all ripped up?! Do you know how worried I am every time you do something like this?! You don't think at all, _do you_?'

She glared at him fiercely, her heads clenched into fists. 'Next time, think about what would happen if you were _killed_ by those dogs! Or if your arm was bitten off, or if you got rabies or something! What would happen if you never came back?!' Shinichi's eyes had been wide in dumbfounded shock at her outburst. Now, they widened even more and his eyebrows shot up in disbelief as Ran –seemingly exhausted of energy from her sudden explosion- abruptly collapsed onto the floor and began sobbing her heart out.

Wow. Ran was having mood swings the size of elephants.

Shinichi stared awkwardly down at her, wondering what he should do now.

Um….

A an eternity ticked by.

_Come on, think Shinichi think! _He racked his brains for an idea. What would other guys do if they saw a girl crying on the ground?

He suddenly came to the horrible realization that he had no idea whatsoever.

Another eternity. Tick, tick, tick…

Ran was still crying. Shinichi flinched as she let out another sob. What could have happened to make her so emotional? He'd already done stuff like this many times before and she'd never gotten this mad before. It couldn't have just been what he told her…could it?

Well, here went nothing. Slowly, he inched his way off his stool and crouched down next to her.

'Um, Ran?'

She gave another violent sob in reply, her shoulders shaking even more. Shinichi looked down glumly, wondering what he should do next, now that his –one and only- genius plan had backfired on him.

Think, think, think…

He suddenly had a brainwave. 'Ran,' he said, crossing his fingers hopefully. 'You can punch me if you want.'

Ran gave him a hard shove in return, one that probably meant –'you're a stupid idiot Shinichi.'

Ouch.

Now _that_ was unfair and uncalled for. He bristled at the thought. He was not an idiot. He was actually very smart, in fact-

No, wait. Ran was crying. He had to stay on topic. Suddenly, he looked down…

...and screamed bloody murder.

Ran looked up abruptly and stopped crying as she watched in surprise as Shinichi suddenly began running around the room, shrieking his head off. The jerk. She already had enough things on her mind and stressful matters to deal with without him scaring the life out of her and _then_ giving her a headache with his insensitive screaming. What could be the matter with him?! Why couldn't he ever be sensitive for once-

She looked down and her eyes widened.

She felt a furious blush spread rapidly across her cheeks as she stared down at the blood on her skirt. It was in such a –ahem- _questionable_ area, it couldn't have dripped down from Shinichi's arm…right?

She froze as it dawned on her.

No…wait- It couldn't be! She'd never had her period before in her _life_, so what were the odds that she had gotten her first one so coincidentally? But…it would explain why she had broken down in front of Shinichi so uncharacteristically. And it would explain her giant mood swing when she'd started yelling at him like that...

Oh.

No.

She was completely mortified as she came to the decidedly inevitable conclusion. She had the very worst luck in the world. And for _him _to have witnessed it. What would he think? She looked up quickly towards Shinichi.

He had stopped screaming, and was staring at her in a sort of horrified wonder. Ran's eyes slowly followed his down to where he was staring.

There was a long silence.

_Meeeeeep._

Ran slowly looked back up at Shinichi, a furious blush on her face. 'YOU JERK! YOU BIG PERVERT!!!'

She ran out of the room in humiliation, and went into her room, slamming the door. She collapsed onto her bed, sobbing. Urgh. Why was she so emotional suddenly? She let out a small growl of frustration. Stupid period. Stupid hormones. They were making her feel all stressed and weepy for some reason. She buried her head in her pillow, wishing that her mother was there. She'd know what to do. She'd wrap her arms around her and hold her tight, and comfort her as she sobbed in her safe warm arms..

But her mother wasn't there. No, all she had was that _jerk_ sitting in the living room at that moment, the one who had been openly staring at her with not even a speck of decency. Stupid Shinichi! She let out another bout of uncontrollable sobbing, as another unfamiliarly uncomfortable lump of blood decided to make its way out between her legs. She realized distressingly that the blood would only soak into her bed if she kept this up any longer.

She reluctantly tore herself away, going down to sit cross legged on the cold wooden floor. She wrapped her arms around her stomach as it started up again. What was she meant to do now? She heard the front door slam and felt more tears welling up to her eyes. Shinichi was going, probably running off to leave her on her own. Well good riddance! She began sobbing her hear out again as she realized that she was now on her own. What should she do now?

Urgh. Shinichi was such a stupid, insensitive_ jerk_.

-o-

_Click._

Ran looked up from her residing sobs as she heard the soft noise. Her eyes were wide and her senses were all suddenly wide awake and alert. The noise had been so faint that she'd barely heard it, but it had been the unmistakable sound of the front door opening. She froze, going over the possibilities. What if Shinichi had forgotten to lock the door? What if it was a robber coming to rob the house or a serial killer planning to rape her while she was vulnerable like this, or-

She jumped in alarm as there was a knock on her bedroom door. Who could it be?! Her breathing began to quicken as she stared in panic at the closed door.

'Ran?' She almost collapsed in relief as she heard the familiar sound of Shinichi's voice. So, he'd come back…?

The door opened slightly and his head peeked through. He was blushing slightly and avoiding to look her in the eye. 'I…um, I-I brought you these…' he mumbled in embarrassment, his hand revealing several green plastic wrapped packages. They were tossed towards her and he quickly disappeared from sight, the door closing behind him with a hurried click. Ran picked one up. It was a sanitary pad.

Okay.

Well, that was a little…unexpected. She suddenly realized that _Shinichi_ had brought it for her, and felt her face begin to burn again. Had he gone to the local pharmacy to buy them for her?

That must have been a little awkward for him.

She clenched the small package in her hand, feeling bad for thinking him a jerk. Picking herself off the floor, she trailed off towards the bathroom to make herself a little more presentable. She rubbed her eyes to wipe away the last of the tears. Her best friend Shinichi had been the one to witness her not-so-glorious moment of womanhood.

She sighed.

Why did fate have to be so cruel?

-o-

Ran crept into the living room, her face scrubbed, her hair brushed and her soiled clothes in the washing machine. She poked her head around the door to see Shinichi sitting on the floor, staring into space. He looked up as she came in.

They both blushed.

Shinichi looked at the sofa, Ran looked at the clock on the wall -anything to stop themselves from looking at the other. There was an awkward pause. They both opened their mouths to speak at the same time.

'I'm-'

'Um…' Shinichi looked sheepishly down at his feet, wondering what to say. He was never going to live this up. It would stay with him for the rest of his life and he would probably have nightmares about it for weeks to come. Ran plus womanhood equals _meeeeep._ He suddenly felt very, very dirty.

Ran twisted her hands together anxiously. 'I, um…thanks, Shinichi for…well…you know.'

'It's okay,' he mumbled hurriedly. 'Um…so you feeling better?'

Ran nodded, smiling brightly. 'Is your arm okay?'

Shinichi nodded back, also smiling. There was a tense, strained silence.

Ho hum…

'Well, I suppose I'll see you?' Ran nodded. Shinichi began edging inch by inch towards the door.

'Um…Shinichi?' He turned around, looking questioningly at her. 'Sorry for calling you a jerk...' She trailed off, bunching up her skirt in her hands.

'S'okay.' Shinichi opened the door and turned to go…

…to be faced almost nose-to-nose with Ran's father, Mouri Kogoro.

_Uh oh…_

Mouri eyed the boy suspiciously, ushering him back into the house. What was_ he_ doing here?

Mouri demanded to know.

-o-

There was an awkward pause… Shinichi wished that he hadn't decided to ask Ran for help.

_Think. _He was smart, what was a good excuse? Finding none, he crossed his fingers, hoping for a miracle. He pointed doubtfully at his arm, which had blood seeping slowly out of the bandage.

'I...needed to borrow a band aid?'

Mouri looked dubious.

* * *

**AN: **Uh... +(O.o)+ Sorry, haven't updated in ages because of school and my other stories that I'm working on. But, here it is. But random though, please tell me if there is slights of OOC or anything else, okay? Feedback is GOLD. O(o.o)O -mickey mouse?

Review please!


	6. Percent

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC/CC.**

**Read and rate, please enjoy!**

* * *

Ran stared in shock at her test paper. After all the hard work she had put into revising for the test and all the late nighters she had pulled, she had only got a measly forty five percent. She glanced over at Shinichi. He was sitting back in his chair, balancing it by only the two back legs as he lazily flicked pencil shavings at the boy seated in front of him. Huh. He obviously hadn't studied at all. Ran leaned over, poking him to attract his attention.

'Psst. Shinichi!' He glanced over, his eyebrows raised questioningly. 'Yeah?'

'What did you get for the test?'

Shinichi frowned. 'For the test? One hundred.'

Ran didn't reply. She was frozen in disbelieving shock. One hundred percent? That was _not_ fair. She had studied so hard for the test and had _still_ gotten such a bad score, while that idiot Shinichi _slept_ during class time and played soccer after school. He probably didn't even know the definition of the word 'study.' She fumed, turning back to the front of the class. How that notion worked was completely beyond her. Why was it that the people who tried hard were the ones who got all the misfortune, while the ones who just treated life like a big joke could still cruise through it with one hundred percent test papers? She groaned, banging her head on her desk.

'Mouri?' She looked up as the teacher called her name. He was looking at her as if she had grown two heads. 'Are you alright?'

She sat up, nodding respectfully. 'Yes, sensei. Sorry!' The teacher gave a non-committal nod, having lost interest in her already. She frowned, rubbing her head where she had banged it. Great. Now she had a bad test score _and _a sore head. Life just got better and better. Sighing, she stared towards the front, trying to ignore her test paper where the big red forty-five glared up at her like a direct insult to her intelligence.

Next to her, Shinichi grinned. 'What did you get?'

* * *

**AN:** Sorry I haven't updated much lately. comes second to my studies, and right now is pretty hectic. Thanks for reading though!


	7. Life

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC/CC.**

**Please read and review.**

* * *

'Yo, Kudou! See you tomorrow!' Shinichi grinned, pulling a cheeky salute in the direction of his retreating classmates. 'See ya!' He watched after them as they walked off, talking and laughing and jostling each other playfully as they went. He turned back to his bicycle, which he was getting out of its lock. He fiddled around for a bit, stepping back as the lock sprang out with a loud 'click.' He began wheeling it out of the bicycle dock.

'Hey! Shinichi!' Shinichi winced at the sharp voice coming from behind him, recognizing it instantly. It was Sonoko, Ran's annoying friend. She seemed to like flirting with a lot of his friends, but usually, she did him no favors whatsoever. If she came to him, it would undoubtedly be about some other dumb notion that had popped into her cotton-wool stuffed head. He didn't know what Ran liked so much about her. When she talked, it was either about boys, or about, well, boys. She seemed to enjoy annoying him though. And her voice gave him a headache. What could she possibly want from him?

He assumed an irritated expression in hopes that she might get the picture and leave him alone. Of course, she did nothing of the sort, Shinichi groaned inwardly as she flicked back her too-short hair, and opened her mouth to speak. Now he would have to endure another of her infamous blabbings about nothing. Don't get him wrong, he had nothing against her. As a person she was a bit annoying, but she was okay, as long as she kept her mouth shut. No, what he disliked was what came out of her mouth. When she talked, she _talked._ A lot. And as much as he tried to escape her blabbing, it seemed like she purposely hunted him down to annoy. She probably knew that he got super annoyed at her, and she seemed to have taken it upon herself somehow, that it was her job to make him royally pissed. All day, every day. At least, whenever she got the chance. He peered at her warily, throwing her off her delivery speech.

'What do _you _want?'

She frowned at him, miffed that he had deflated her glamorous entrance. She sighed witheringly, opening her mouth to speak. 'Have you seen Ran?'

'No.'

'Oh, okay then. Are you sure?'

'Yes! I'm sure!' Sonoko frowned, tapping her cheek thoughtfully. She looked at him suspiciously. 'But I saw you too at lunch time together, and in maths class. And when you were walking to school,' she added after a moments thought. 'She must have told you where she was going to be after school somewhere during that time.'

Shinichi looked ruffled. 'What are you, a stalker or something? Jeez. She didn't tell me okay?' He put on a petulant expression. 'Besides, if she had told me, would I be standing here talking to you in the first place?' Sonoko sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes in exasperation. 'Fine then. I'll go find her myself. You are no help whatsoever.'

Shinichi watched her as she marched off, relieved that she was finally leaving him alone. Jeez, that woman sure knew how to talk. And how to annoy the stuffing out of a person. He stuck his tongue out at her retreating form, the action giving him a small satisfaction. Grumpily, he unhooked his bicycle, wheeling it out of its dock, while muttering under his breath. 'Stupid woman...'

'Hey, I heard that!' Shinichi jumped at the sudden noise, his quick detective reflexes taking charge. He spun around, to see Ran looking at him suspiciously.

Now there was a person he was glad to see. He grinned at her, relaxing as she walked around his bicycle, looking at it carefully. She finished her inspection, glancing up at him with an annoyed expression on her face. 'Where were you?'

Shinichi spluttered, pointing at her accusingly. 'Where was I? Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question? I haven't seen you all day! You were meant to tell me where to meet you.' He huffed in annoyance. 'You don't know how long I've had to suffer-'

'Whatever. Shinichi, have you seen Sonoko?' Ran rummaged around in her bag distractedly, cutting him off mid-sentence. Shinichi gave a small gasp of indignation. She didn't hear, instead, she continued on. 'I need to return something to her. A book…' She pulled the object in question out from her bag, and straightened, obviously not listening to him. She craned her neck, trying to find her friend among the sea of students that were standing in small clumps around the main entrance.

Shinichi was pissed. After all the time he had spent waiting for her, and she was ignoring him, to look for that devil woman?

'Ra-an!' He pouted, mustering that best little-boy sulky face that he could. 'Can't you just come back tomorrow? 'Hmm?' Ran glanced at him distractedly. Shinichi sighed, dropping the look. 'You know I don't like her,' he muttered, his face stormy as he stared down at the ground. Ran flapped a hand at him. 'Don't be so childish. Help me find Sonoko, okay?'

'No.'

Ran paused, glancing back at him in surprise. 'What's with the sulky face?'

Shinichi pouted. 'I don't want to. Sonoko's a big witch. And besides, she hates me.'

'What? Don't be stupid. Come on.' Half protesting, Shinichi had no choice but to let himself be dragged away by Ran. Once she made up her mind, there was no stopping her. She had a had a grip of steel.

And besides, he quite liked the way she was holding onto him like that.

* * *

** AN:** Review please!


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